India has switched the PORN back on

The controversial government order has since been revoked

The Indian government had ordered internet service providers to block access to 857 adult websites on grounds of morality and decency.

But the order sparked an angry backlash on Twitter – with thousands criticising the censorship within the world's largest democracy.

However the controversial order has since been revoked.

The Indian government has instead ordered internet service providers, or ISPs, to only shutdown sites that promote child pornography.

 

The revised order is drawing the ire of service providers, who have been effectively asked to check and decide which sites need to be blocked.

"This whole thing is very ambiguous. How are we supposed to check if the sites have child porn?" an official at one of India's main telecom operators told Reuters.

This whole thing is very ambiguous

Internet Service Provider employee

 

"Is this what we are supposed to do now?"

Censorship of Internet content is common in India but the order to block the 857 adult sites was the first big crackdown on Internet pornography.

In 2011, India urged social network companies to screen content and remove offensive material. 

A year later, the government faced criticism for ordering dozens of Twitter accounts to be blocked for spreading rumours.

Use of social media and smartphones is rising rapidly in the country and pornography is in demand: Pornhub, an adult website, last year said India ranked fifth for daily visitors.